No Happy Endings
by wombatpower
Summary: The team are back, battered in more ways than one after Tehran. When a seemingly simple operation goes wrong will they be able to pull together and survive, or will they let what's happened destroy the team they once were? Angsty stuff s 5 and 6 character
1. Introduction

No Happy endings.

**Back again, writing more angsty stuff ( well trying to anyway). I hope you like : D (P.S. sadly none of thesecharacters belong to me) **

* * *

Harry loved his job. It was a job he fought for with passion, knowing his neck was on the line all of the time. However, there is a thin line between love and hate. He loved what he did, no two ways about it. But he hated the consequences. The losing people, the constant fights for survival. Sometimes he thought he was just growing to old for it, but as he looked out of his clear glass office window, a strange sensation overwhelmed him. Pride. Pride in what he did, and pride in his team. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Outside of the bosses' quarters were the team, frantically running, filing and phoning. Out of them all Malcolm was the calmest. Surprising considering it was Malcolm who suffered most from stress. One of the main reasons he failed to become a field officer. At first he was jealous. Jealous of the young new talent coming in, strutting about, and getting to do the work that _really_ matters. This lasted only the first few days into his job though, the green monster within him destroyed when he had his first real task. It was then he realised that without the people behind the scenes, those outside would be left stranded. They were the actors and he was the director.

Switching on the computer, he glanced over the screen and smiled to the grey haired woman with a kindly but striking face. Connie. Every fibre of her being loved this job, but never did she think that she would get the chance to come back to it. Not after the way she had to leave. But now she was back, she had no intentions of getting thrown away again. In way she viewed this job with rose tinted spectacles, over looking the bad and the down right ugly aspects of it to see the good that came out of giving your life to help the country. In that way she was lucky. Many agents grew to despise the thing they once loved.

Jo for example. The past few months had hit her hard. With Zaf missing for months on end she had made herself sick with worry, and after her own kidnapping she hadn't quiet been the same. The sparkle in her eyes had gone. She constantly felt tired and although she loved helping people it just wasn't the same for her any more. She had seen what happens when the job goes wrong, and that scared the shit out of her. But, out of all of the crap she'd dealt with, some good had come out of it. She'd found love, and it was Zaf shaped.

She smiled at him and he responded warmly, miming texting as Adam walked behind him, rolling his eyes.

Zaf. 4 months he was gone, subjected to torture even the most cruel and callous of human beings would have trouble of thinking of. Strange really that he'd come out of it still bubbly and flirty. Not to say it hadn't affected him. No that would be far from the truth. He still had nightmares, and the whole experience had made him much more hard nosed and distant. He was no longer that trusting young man and he still constantly ached and hurt. It wasn't the torture that hurt him the most though. Yes the physical pain was unbearable and all the time he was held he prayed for death so the pain would cease. No, the thing that hurt the most was knowing his family thought him to be dead. Never would he be able to forgive _them_ for that. As for the job, he even surprised himself when he asked to come back. One thing he'd never forget would be the look Harry gave him when he was sat there requesting to be re-instated. He did an excellent goldfish impression.

Jo and Adam had helped him an unbelievable amount when he came back. They all supported each other really, finding ways to cope. Adam found his way of coping, but it shut him off from the others. Once was there a time when Adam was cocky and friendly, much admired by the other officers. That changed when Fiona died. He was left feeling isolated and empty, as if part of him had died with her. His opinion of the job changed then. It wasn't good or fun. It was painful. He'd learnt that late and it had stayed with him. He'd seen too many people being driven away and hurt, most of them people he had been close to, and he hated it.

As he walked past Zaf organising a 'textathon' with Jo he couldn't help but smile slightly. He had to admire the strength his fellow colleagues had. Not just the way they coped with it (he coped as well after all) but the way their character remained, strengthened by the evil they had seen. Ruth was a prime example of this.

Like Connie she adored what she did. The main feeling she felt though was relief. Just pure relief that finally she could walk outside again without being terrified of being arrested for a crime she didn't commit. If there was one good thing that the home secretary did it was getting her mess sorted out. Forever she'd be grateful for that. Now she was back, and she loved it. New characters to meet, old characters to get to know properly again, and then of course Harry. God knows how she coped without that fool for as long as she did. His constant 'arseyness' she had missed, their small chats in his office, the longing looks through his window at each other. Nothing felt better than knowing that finally she could act on those fantasies she had held for the years she had been there. She also missed being mother hen to all of the others. Whether it be to Adam, giving him help with Wes and the house, to Jo, talking about their seemingly impossible loves, to Zaf, protecting him from the multitudes of women he insisted on dating, or to the newbies, helping them pave their way.

Like Ben. He'd been there for a month and a half now, and yet he still didn't feel at home. In a way he felt unwanted, and his constant clashing with Adam didn't help matters. Maybe Adam just didn't feel like he wanted to do the job enough, or that he wasn't good enough for it… he didn't know. His relationship with Jo had also been soured since he joined. He liked her and she liked him, but they weren't communicating the way they used to. However, Connie and Ruth he got on well with, enjoying their company for most of his working day. As for Zaf… he barely knew him. They had talked and worked together a few times now, but he still seemed as distant as he did when they were first introduced to each other. Not unfriendly, no. Just distant, as if he had other matters on his mind.

Then of course there was Ros. Returning from the dead and getting straight back into business. Now that Yalta had been demolished as an organisation she was safe in that respect. However, regaining the trust of her colleagues was far from simple. She was lucky really that Harry allowed her back, although it has to be said that it was far from an opened arms welcoming. And as much as she tried to let it not affect her, she didn't have a clue where she stood with Adam. She didn't know where he stood with her. It was a mess, and she was left confused. Once there had been a time where she was a highly respected officer. Now she was just a mess that had to regain everything she'd lost.

**New chapter will be coming, but maybe not for a few weeks as I'm supposed to be revising :P**


	2. Taken

**Here's the second lot of angst, as I don't feel fluffy enough at the mo to extend my fluff fic :D **

**I hope it's not rubbish ( I tried to make it readable) and I hope you enjoy it. :D **

* * *

It was worse than he expected. Turning to Ruth he pouted, choosing his words carefully before speaking.

"They know about us."

"No, it's not possible"

"Well how else do you explain what's happening?"

He was being short with her but he couldn't help himself, even though he knew the hurt it would cause. Harry just sat there as Ruth stood behind him asking the same question he had running through his head.

"Well what do we do then Harry?"

Her voice was forceful, bleeding passion. They had officers out there – officers in danger.

"What do the trackers say? About Ros and Zaf…"

"Same as before, when you asked five minutes ago. Apparently they haven't moved."

"What about Adam?"

"In the pool car heading back here."

Silence. This didn't seem right. Adam was told under no circumstances to come back to Thames house until the order had been given. Ros and Zaf on the other hand… They were told to report back immediately after they'd been to the warehouse. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong with this but no matter how much he wanted to get them out he knew he couldn't… It would sabotage everything.

"I'll tell backup to go in".

He turned to Ruth and shook his head before turning to face his computer screen.

" Tell backup to wait..."

"But Harry!"

"NO Ruth! Not until we're sure."

"These are your officers!"

"As are you, so you will do what I say and tell backup to hold off."

She opened her mouth to respond but shut it again before any words could escape, instead choosing to turn her head away from her boss, blinking tears of frustration away. Why was he so bloody stubborn?

"Ruth…"

His voice was softer this time. She turned to look at him staring up intently at her.

"They'll be fine. We're just over reacting."

She just nodded.

* * *

"For God sakes Adam when you get this message call me!"

The fifth unsuccessful attempt of calling Adam. It was in Harrys' gut that something had gone wrong. He'd been in this job long enough to know when they were in trouble and this didn't feel good. He slammed his phone shut and threw it onto the table in frustration, causing the cheap plastic cover to crack.

"Ruth. Ruth!"

"What?" She replied, as she ran into his office with the strain of the situation showing clearly on her face.

"Have you got news?"

She shook her head and he groaned, placing his head into his hands before he replied.

"Fine, get Jo and Ben to lead backup into the warehouse now. They've been in there for over an hour attending to what was supposed to be a ten-minute meeting. Everything about this op just feels wrong."

"I'll get right onto it."

* * *

"You ready for this?"

Ben turned to look at the blonde woman next to him and cocked an eyebrow. He wished that she'd stop treating him like a child.

"Good then let's go."

She jumped out of the car and ran her fastest away from it, as Ben struggled to release himself from his seat belt. When the belt finally gave way he too jumped out of the vehicle, only to find that Jo had disappeared into a sea of armed police.

"Jo?! Jo!"

Shouting had no effect. Cursing to himself under his breath Ben picked up pace, within seconds growing level with Joanna Portman and her army of guns, running until the warehouse door was only feet away from them.

He looked at her, waiting for the command as she briefed the force behind them. Then she shouted.

"THREE, TWO, ONE!"

A sudden rush of feet pummelling against the floor could be heard as the warehouse entrance was smashed to the ground.

"ARMED POLICE!"

* * *

"Harry?"

He turned to see a nervous looking Malcolm standing in his office doorway and motioned for him to come inside.

"News?"

He nodded but said nothing, handing over a sandwich bag containing a small black plastic circle. Harry reached out his hand and took the bag, raising an eyebrow at Malcolm as he received it.

"This is a tracker?"

"Adams' tracker. It was found in the pool car he was riding in… Without Adam."

* * *

There was nothing there. No Ros, no Zaf, no terrorists. Ben stared wildly around the square based room unable to hide his shock that it was empty as Jo shouted to the other officers to begin their searches.

"Jo?"

She turned on her heel and snapped.

"What?!"

"Jo there's no one here."

Jo scoffed and turned away.

"Of course they're here. Where else could they have gone?"

Her voice was harsh and that shocked Ben slightly. He hadn't experienced her like this on an op before. She just always so… Calm.

"No one here Jo."

It was one of the police officers Jo had been talking to earlier. Her heart began to race.

"Look again."

"We've looked Guv and there's no one here."

"That's why I said _look again_".

She was being unreasonable and she knew, but it was her way of coping, resisting the urge to burst into tears as it dawned on her that maybe they really weren't inside the warehouse after all.

"Jo…"

"What Ben?"

Her voice snapped at him once again, but this time it sounded deeper than usual, choked with realisation. Ben didn't answer her, but just kept on walking towards Jo, his hand outstretched and holding two black circles. As he grew closer she noticed the two dark rings and widened her eyes, running towards him and ripping them away from his hand.

"These are…"

"Trackers."

Her eyes filled with tears.

* * *

"Harry? Harry? "

Malcolm was so close to him but his voice sounded so far away. All he could think of was how. How? Why? When?

"Harry?!"

It was all his fault, he should have taken him out. Now Adam was gone.

Then it dawned on him.

Ros and Zaf.

"Harry!"

Finally he looked at Malcolm, showing he was listening.

"What do you want me to do?"

* * *

"Shit!"

She was beside her self and nothing anyone said could calm her down. She began to run, the fastest she could, just running away from that bloody warehouse, ignoring all calls of her name. She ran all the way back to car and thrust open the door before she finally stopped and dissolved into tears.

"Jo!"

Ben was calling. She turned her tear stained face towards him and wiped away the brine from her cheeks.

"What?"

Her voice was choked with tears and it was bitter, angry at what had happened, angry at Ben for not doing anything useful and angry at herself.

Angry for letting him slip away from her again.

* * *

"Connie have you got anything else ?"

She turned her head towards Ruth and shook her head.

" 'fraid not. It won't be long though. If he's been taken demands will be made within the next few hours."

Ruth said nothing in response, choosing instead to pull out her desk chair and place herself upon it, staring intently at her feet the whole time.

"Ruth we've been in this type of situation many times before this and often they turn out perfectly fine. He's an experienced field officer and he knows how to cope, so stop worrying and focus on getting him back."

If it had come from anyone else she may have felt the temptation to hit them but Connie was Connie. She spoke the truth and that comforted Ruth no end. She knew she wasn't being fed a heap of bull. Her heart began to slow and she even managed a weak smile at her elder colleague.

That lasted all of 5 seconds.

A shout erupted from Harrys' office, a curse of some sort, before the man himself came storming out of the glass walled prison, motioning towards Ruth, Connie and Malcolm. All at once they got up and jogged over to their boss, standing around him in a semi circle, panicked by his outburst.

He didn't wait for anyone to speak and he didn't feel the need to elaborate on the matter. They didn't have the time. He just said it, spitting it out as if it were poison.

"They've taken Zaf and Ros."

They just stood in silence.

* * *

**More soon ;) **


	3. Captive

* * *

Darkness was everywhere, not a single ray of light to be seen. He blinked once, twice but still the darkness would not shift. It was then that he became aware of the burning pain in the back of his head.

"Arggg…"

Letting out a small moan he tried to stretch his fingers to the ground but was stopped by the cold metallic ring he had around his wrists.

_What the…? _

Hands bound excruciatingly tightly around his back he tried to stand, only to find that his legs were also bound together. Left blinded, gagged and tied all he could do was slump back onto the floor and wait for someone to come… anyone.

How long had it been? Minutes, seconds, days or hours? He had no idea.

Then suddenly the sound he'd been praying for and dreading

Footsteps, echoing, vibrating through the floor.

Then a laugh – cold, verging on manic.

A sudden breeze sent a chill through the air as they entered the room and then a slam – the sound of freedom being stripped away. The mysterious figure grew closer, crouching down beside the captive spook and released another chilling laugh, before ripping off the blindfold.

He blinked furiously, adjusting to the light invading his eyes before focusing on the shadow next to him.

_No… Not possible…_

The shock gave great pleasure to the captor, forming in the shape of a smile, beaming down at the desperate writhing body next to him.

Then it spoke.

"Hello Adam."

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN ZAF AND ROS ARE GONE?"

It was Ruth, shouting her loudest at her boss, before raising her hands to her head and running them through her brunette locks. It was unsettling that Harry chose not to answer her question.

Then Connie spoke.

"Same people?"

"Most likely. This is more than just your average terror cell."

At this Ruth froze on the spot, before turning away and scoffing.

"Talk about stating the bloody obvious."

Harry nodded, knowing not to challenge her whilst she was raging. Instead he turned to a shell shocked Malcolm and began to issue orders despite being uncertain as to whether he was taking any of them in. Malcolm just continued to look at the floor whilst Harry talked, before giving a final nod and jogging away to his desk. Then turning to Connie he spoke.

" I need you to head up an investigation team at the warehouse, and make sure to take Ben with you when he gets back."

"Right, what about Jo?"

He shook his head, and began to walk away from her, heading to his office as he replied.

"No, she'll be no use at the moment."

_Can you blame her?_

He stopped suddenly to see who had shouted that at him but saw no one staring back. He flicked his eyes from one side of the room to the other, puzzled by where that outburst had come from until then he finally realised.

It was in his head.

* * *

Cold manic laughter rang through Adam Carters' ears and all he wanted to do was run. Run away as fast as he could, to escape from the impossible sight he had in front of him.

"Oh Adam… Don't say you're not pleased to see me!"

That voice… That accent… It chilled him to the bone…

"What? Are you, how you say… frightened of me Mr Carter?"

He tried to speak but found the course fabric gag blocking his tongue, so only muffled his response. Yet another laugh penetrated his ears before a hand was raised and the gag removed.

"Is that better Mr Carter?"

"Where are the others?"

Adam knew he was breaking his legend but he didn't care anymore. All the rules had gone out of the window. He needed to get out of there, and get Ros and Zaf out with him. Before they started their work on them.

* * *

"Ros? Ros?"

_So dark… So painful… So… So…_

"Ros! Come on Ros, wake up!"

Nothing. Just a murmur of a groan came from the unconscious blonde woman lying next to him. Zaf groaned loudly, throwing his hands against the floor in the vague hope vibrations would stir her. Nothing.

"Arggh, come on Ros! Now is **not** the time to have a sleep in!"

Then it came. That small groan of recognition he'd been waiting so anxiously for.

"Zaf?"

For the first time in hours he felt himself smile.

"Yeah, yeah it's me. Come on, let's get you up."

"I'm dizzy…"

"Yeah, well you were hit over the head."

" Shut up smart arse."

Grasping her firmly under the arm he pulled her up, her feet dragging slightly against the cold stone floor until he reached the small wooden stool in the corner, placing her upon it, and resting her head against the brick prison.

"There you go."

Ros grimaced slightly and raised her hands to her head, feeling around until she reached a pound sized lump on the back of her skull.

"Well they certainly hit us hard enough didn't they?"

Zaf snorted and flicked her eyes towards him, noticing for the first time the large black eye he was harbouring. He saw her eyes dart to his war wounds and grimaced himself before replying.

"Lets just say a simple whack on the head didn't quite work on me."

"What did then?"

"A mixture between a large taser gun and a massive boot in the face."

She smiled slightly and he responded, but neither smile was warm. They were sad, even lonely smiles, scared of the ever-closer future.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL'S GOING HARRY!"

Jo had arrived on the grid, blinking back tears of fury as she stormed her way through the computer desks, until reaching her boss, who was stood rooted to the ground.

"Jo calm down."

"Oh calm down… CALM DOWN?!

_"Yes calm down."_

"And how the hell do you expect me to do that when Zaf is out there after being kidnapped by a bunch homicidal maniacs?"

"Jo, come over here."

It was Ruth. The ever calming voice of Ruth was enough to send Joanna Portman into a series of uncontrollable sobs, sending her trembling body to the ground as colleagues and friends gathered around her, attempting to pick her up.

Harry stood awkwardly as Ruth and Connie muttered words of encouragement and kindness to her as she rose from the floor in fits of tears, and guided her to the nearest workstation. Out the corner of his eye he saw the pod doors swivel and he looked across the room at a clearly puzzled Ben who had just entered the building and shook his head, telling the young novice everything he needed to know. This operation had gone badly wrong.

* * *

"Ros?"

"Yes Zaf?"

"If you were an animal what would you be?"

"What?"

"Come on!"

Then she realised what he was trying to do. Typical Zaf, trying to put on the brave front, bombarding her with stupid questions to take their minds off of what was happening.

"Well, if it will shut you up, I'd be a praying mantis."

He grinned at her answer, before daring for an explanation.

"Why? Don't they bite the heads of the males when they're, er, spreading the love?"

"Exactly. I'd get to be a man eater."

Both spooks grinned slightly before the smiles fell away, as the reality of the situation hit them once again, but determined not to dwell on what was going to happen to them Ros spoke up, keeping the conversation alive.

"So… What would you be?"

She thought she saw him blush.

"Zaf?"

"I don't think that's important…"

"Zafar Younis, don't you dare keep quiet about this. Come on, give some me light in this hell hole."

"Fine… A swan."

She snorted and his eyes shot up at her, demanding an explanation.

"What's wrong with a swan?"

"Nothing… You just don't strike me as a swan type of guy."

"There's nothing wrong with being a swan!"

"Yes, but what you're forgetting Zaf is that I expected you to have gone all macho on me, like a rhino."

"Well, if you really want to know it's because i admire their family life. They stick together, stay loyal. But don't you ever repeat that to any one!"

Ros smiled at him and shook her head, opening her mouth to give him her word when suddenly the cell door flung open. Both spooks jumped to their feet and glanced at each other, plotting their escapes – until _he_ entered.

To Ros he was small in stature, probably the same height of herself, skinny, and wearing glasses.

To Zaf he was his worst nightmare.

"Aww, how sweet. Zaf and who was you called for last time... Joanna was it not? –"

"-It's _Zafar" _

His voice was deadly, poisonous in it's reply.

"- whatever. She is very beautiful, no?"

"Zaf? Zaf do you know this guy?"

He didn't give her verbal answer, but instead grabbed hold of her trembling hand, clasping it in his own, his shaking more violently than she'd ever witnessed.

_Only one thing could have this effect on a man such as Zaf. _

Then she realised.

* * *

**more soon ;) thankyou to everyone who has reviewed :D **


	4. Trapped

**

* * *

**

I've been beavering away, so here's the 4**th**** chappy :D A very big thankyou to everyone who's reviewed and also to petite etoile22, who took time to beta my mad ravings ;) **

* * *

**Time: 15:34  
Location: The Boardroom**

"What have we got then?"

"Well, according to Malcolm, Adam last used his phone here."

Pointing her finger to the map she had displayed in front of her, Connie then  
proceeded to glance at Malcolm as if to check whether or not she was giving  
the correct information. He nodded slightly in response and she visibly  
relaxed, her finger slipping slightly. No one noticed this though, all too  
intent on staring at the map. Harry lent back slightly in his chair and  
nodded to himself, before looking around the table at the blank faces,  
silently demanding them to speak to him.

Ben took the challenge.

"When Connie and I went to the warehouse, we found traces of blood at the  
scene –"

"Whose blood?"

"Well, we don't know yet… it's currently being checked in the labs to  
see if it matches either Zaf or Ros."

"I see. Anything else?"

His only answer was silence – the one answer Harry had been dreading.

"So what do we do then?"

This forced Harry to look up, his gaze met with the fiery eyes of Ruth who  
was sat opposite him at the end of the table.

"About the operation? Was it all a fake or…"

"It's certainly possible yes, but we won't know for certain until we get to  
the root of the problem."

"Meaning?"

"_Meaning_ we need to find out who tipped us off and where they got their  
information from."

"Well the first one's easy."

It was Connie. Flicking his eyes away from Ruth, Harry focused his attention  
on the woman sat next to him.

"GCHQ tapped phone lines of some of potential threats a few months back,  
heard something fishy and got someone to feed it onto us."

"Find out who this person was and bring them in. It might just help us  
find our officers."

* * *

**Time: unknown  
Location: unknown**

The silence was deafening Ros but she couldn't bring herself to speak.  
Instead she just sat in the corner; knees bunched so tightly against her  
chest that it hurt, and stared at her colleague. Never before had she seen Zaf so quiet.  
Usually they couldn't get him to shut up, but then again, these weren't  
usual circumstances. They were being held prisoner, and there was little hope  
of escape.

A sudden gust flew through the room and she shivered, causing her to turn her  
head to see a barred window left slightly open, teasing her with the taste of  
freedom.

"Zaf…"

Nothing.

"Zaf."

"What?"

It was the first time they'd spoken since their visitor had left.

"Zaf, the window."

"What about it?"

"Just look at the window."

And he did, turning his head to face the same way as Ros. It was left open  
very slightly, but that wasn't what Ros was looking at. No, instead she was  
staring intently at the large crack in the glass, and Zaf knew just as well as  
she did that with a little force it would shatter into thousands upon  
thousands of shards.

No. He wasn't going to let that happen. Not yet. So he spoke.

"The bars are too strong. I tried when you were knocked out."

"That wasn't what I was thinking of."

"I know. And the answer's no"

"So what? You'd rather be tortured to death?"

_"You seem to have forgotten I almost have been." _

* * *

Blinded once again. Moving cautiously through the halls. At least he  
thought they were halls. The sound of his footsteps echoed off the walls and  
the air was frighteningly cold, causing his breath to sound ragged. Then the arm  
leading him released Adam from its grasp. They'd arrived.

The sound of bolts being unlocked and a door swinging open. Then a shove,  
pushing him into the unknown – and yet more locks turning.

"Adam?"

That voice, one he could trust.

"Zaf?"

"Yeah mate, let us get that off you."

"Us?"

"Yeah they got me and Ros – ah there you go!"

Squinting against the light, Adam took a while to focus until finally he saw  
his colleagues.

"Thanks mate, can you get the hands undone as well?"

"Nah, you've got cuffs on – and I'm crap at opening locks without a  
key."

"Oh perfect!"

Adam grimaced as Zaf pulled a sad smile. It gave him an uncomfortable  
feeling seeing his friend like that, looking as if he had given up all hope,  
but if it were possible, the one thing that made Adam feel even worse was  
knowing that Ros hadn't said a thing since he'd joined them.

"Ros? Are you OK?"

"Oh I'm just mighty fine Adam."

"I meant have they-"

"I know what you meant, and no they haven't touched us. Yet."

He nodded and sank to the ground, sighing loudly as he did so, and adjusting  
his arms so his hands were out of the way as his legs stretched out against  
the stone floor.

More silence.

Ros just continued to stare at the floor, and Zaf had turned to face the  
wall, refusing to look at either of his colleagues. As for Adam, he didn't  
know what he was feeling. He was so frightened, but didn't want to admit  
it, so angry, but couldn't show it, just so, so…

"Zaf mate, how are you coping?"

A stupid question and Adam regretted it as soon as it left his mouth. What  
answer could a man give to a question like that right now? Even Ros glanced  
up at him, her eyes boring through his own, busy questioning his logic.

But he responded.

Zaf just turned to him, his eyes glazed and voice slightly broken and shook  
his head before speaking.

"I'm shit scared."

* * *

"Ruth give me news!"

She glanced over her shoulder to find Harry right behind her, staring  
intently at the figure on her.

"Well we tracked down the source from GCHQ, and it turns out that their  
tip off about who to bug came anonymously."

"What?"

"A letter left in the buildings headquarters. So anyway they choose  
to check it out, and their tip off turns out to be accurate –"

"Or so it seems. Any prints left on the message?"

"Well as it turns out yes. Malcolm's running it through the system at  
the moment, just in case. As for how they escaped the warehouse, the team  
rang saying they found a possible escape route."

"Which is?"

"Didn't give specifics but mentioned a possible underground route-"

Harry groaned loudly and Ruth fell silent.

"Right, get them to check for any prints –"

"Already onto it."

* * *

_Oh come on you stupid computer. How long does it take to run one print  
through…_

Malcolm glanced at the clock just above the desk and sighed, returning his  
gaze to the computer. Half an hour he'd been running the print through and  
nothing. Of course he knew that the chances would be slim anyway but he  
couldn't help but hope for a result. He really wasn't in the mood to lose  
three friends.

"Any luck?"

He swung his head around to the left and saw Jo standing next to him, her  
cheeks tearstained but her face composed. He shook his head and she cursed,  
looking down at the floor before grabbing a chair and sitting next to him,  
staring so intently at the different faces scrolling down the screen.

"Malcolm what are the chances of us finding a match using this?  
Honestly."

"10, maybe 15 percent. The print wasn't particularly clear."

Jo nodded and Malcolm gave a small smile, trying to reassure her.

"You couldn't go and get some files for me could you? The blue and green  
ones in the main office?"

She smiled in return.

"Are you trying to keep me busy by any chance?"

"Well yes… But I really do need those files."

"Right. I'll be back in a tick."

He watched her as she walked away from his desk and bit his lip. An old  
nervous habit that had reappeared in the last few hours.

**Match found**

"What?!"

He swung his head to face the screen.

**Match found**

"No, that makes no sense…"

**Match found**

"Harry!"

**Match found. **

* * *

_What's going to happen to us?_

That was the one question they all had running through their minds. In the  
hands of psychopaths who enjoyed inflicting pain with no escape apart from  
death. Imprisoned in stone, the window their only source of light, and the  
speaker the only decoration in the room of hell – apart from that one stool.

For Ros it was hard to feel anything but dejection. Sorrow, sadness,  
despair, gloom – it was all the same thing, running through her head over and over again. How she'd never see her family again after just regaining contact because some  
crazy bastard wanted to get inside her mind, spilling all its secrets.

**NO. **

She wasn't just going to sit there and take it. Not anymore.

So she stood and she grabbed that stool in the corner, holding it high above  
her head and throwing it at that glass patch in the wall.

"ROS!"

She couldn't tell who had shouted but she didn't care. She just focused  
on picking up that glass, every single shard that had fallen onto the floor.

"What the hell have you done?"

She ignored the voice – Adam.

"Ros don't you dare."

"Dare what?"

Her eyes were wild, burning and she let out a short sharp laugh.

"I'm not going to top myself if that's what you're worried about  
Adam."

"Then what? What the hell are you going to do? Didn't it cross your mind  
that they might just notice all the glass on the floor and the window having  
suddenly disappeared?!"

"Of course. I'm not thick Adam!"

"No you're insane. This is just going to make it WORSE!"

"HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY BE WORSE?"

Then Zaf stood up, immediately making Adam and Ros fall silent.

And then he spoke.

"Go on then Ros. What's the plan?"

* * *

"Harry!"

"What Malcolm?"

"A match! We've got a match!"

Now he was paying attention. He rose from his seat and automatically  
followed Malcolm, unaware of the calls from Ruth, subconsciously ignoring her  
as the two men ran to that desk.

And then he saw it. The impossible truth, the indication of deeper darker  
secrets behind this seemingly simple op.

"Are you sure?"

"96 percent Harry. Very strong considering the quality of the print in the  
first place."

"But that's Fisher. That's who we set Adam up to meet today!"

**The truth hurts.**

"He tipped us off about his own plans of terrorism?"

"Seems like it."

**The truth hurts.**

His heart was pounding, his head swimming, his hands running through his  
hair.

"Harry?"

He wasn't listening to Malcolm. His mind was overcome by the startling  
truth he had in front of him, but no matter how he tried Harry just couldn't  
bring himself to say it.

"Harry, does this mean what I think it means?"

He nodded.

**The truth hurts.**

"The meetings. They were traps."

* * *

More soon :D


	5. Pain

Another big thanks to petite etoile22 for the beta treatment and for sorting out my mad ramblings :D

* * *

So there they were. Sat huddled in the middle of their prison examining every single shard of glass that that shattered window had produced. Time wasn't on their side and the thought of being walked in on chilled them all – they had to work fast.

"This big enough?"

"Depends. How much damage do you want me to cause?"

Adam sat upright and looked her directly in the eyes, his own brimming with what appeared to be tears.

"I don't want you to cause any."

* * *

"Ruth!"

She span around to face her boss knowing instinctively that something was wrong. It was his voice, different somehow.

"Get Ben and Jo to bring Fisher in."

"Why? Was he behind Adam disap-?"

"Just do it!"

With that he stormed off in the other direction, heading towards the safety of his glassed walled office as Ruth stared at him visibly dumbstruck. She knew it wasn't his fault but she couldn't shake off the feeling of hurt.

_Pull yourself together. _

She shook herself and spotted Ben in the corner being filled in by Malcolm.

"Ben!"

He turned.

"Grab Jo and pull in Fisher. NOW!"

* * *

"Everyone clear?"

Zaf and Adam nodded. It was strange being the boss and it wasn't pleasant. If they died it would be her fault. If this backfired it would be her fault. This wasn't a game – this was torture.

She scanned Zaf and Adam's faces for the hundredth time, looking for any signs of doubt on them. No signs at all. But then again they were spooks. Trained liars.

"Good. Remember we've only got one shot at this."

"Ros we've got it."

"I know you've got it Zaf but if this goes wrong we are all going to get killed."

"And if we don't do it at all we're all gonna die, so just leave it to chance."

She opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. Instead it was Adam who was next to speak.

"Ros, you go and dump the glass we picked out and Zaf and I will clear the rest."

She nodded and scooped up the biggest sharpest shards, placing them gently in the corner nearest to the where former window sat as Adam and Zaf worked on clearing away the debris.

A sound.

The fast approaching footsteps of pain.

"Shit!"

They weren't ready. The preparation wasn't finished.

Ros was frozen in fear, staring wildly at Adam as he shouted instructions at her. Instructions that weren't going in. It was only when Zaf took her by the shoulders and shook her did she finally hear what Adam was shouting.

"SIT ON THE PILE!"

So she did, throwing all of her weight onto the glass left lying abandoned in the corner and wincing in pain as Zaf and Adam hurriedly checked the floor for any others shards left behind.

And then it happened.

Unlocking the door, pushing it open, smiling broadly.

He entered.

The three spooks stared at him and the door, sizing up how easily he could be taken down. No one acted though, for they knew instinctively that guards would have been placed outside that exit, blocking any attempts of freedom.

Then he spoke.

"Who would like to be first?"

A predatory smile.

"Rosalind, would you ca - "

Something caught his attention and suddenly he stopped speaking.

He'd noticed the window.

And his reaction was bizarre.

What they had expected they did not know, but it certainly wasn't what he gave them. Not laughter.

"Ah! About time we had a nice escape attempt! We were beginning to think you wanted to be here, no?"

No answer but silent screams of hatred and the narrowing of eyes.

"Who did this? Maybe you would like to go first."

No answer.

His voice changed. Dangerous, frightening – a whisper.

"_Who did this?" _

Ros felt her lip tremble and her eyes brim with tears. So much did she want to confess but she couldn't. If she moved, the glass would be revealed and they'd be even further up shit creek. Her heart missed a beat when she heard the next voice.

"I did."

"Zaf, no…"

"I did it."

"Don't do this mate."

"It was me. I broke your shitting window."

Silence.

Zaf rose to his feet and their visitor smiled grotesquely.

"It's nice to see you again Zaf."

"_It's Zafar."_

He grabbed Zaf's shoulder and pulled him forwards with such force Zaf stumbled, falling hard to the floor.

"GET UP!"

* * *

"Ruth, talk to me!"

"We got Fisher, he's in questioning and his house is being searched as we speak."

"Good, let's hope he talks."

"Oh he will do if he's got any sense left."

Harry nodded and squeezed her shoulder slightly, a way of silent apology for earlier and she nodded, accepting without question. A rare moment of peace for the spooks in these hectic times.

Then Jo came, red in the face and out of breath.

"Harry!"

"What?"

"It's Fisher. He's got contacts with Hogan."

"What?"

"Bob Hogan. He keeps on saying it's all because of Hogan."

"What's because of Hogan?"

"Jesus Harry, keep up! Our officers disappearing, everything. It's all Hogan."

Harry shook his head and walked away, Jo following him desperately.

"No, not possible. He's in detention under the watch of the CIA for Christ sakes!"

"Easily done with private visiting hours, and seeing as Hogan's still in Britain perfectly plausible."

Then he stopped and nodded, digesting everything that Jo had told him. His stomach felt uneasy.

"Joanna…"

She stood to attention, her eyes opened wide and tears gone.

"Get me a car."

* * *

**Delusion. **

"Maybe he's got out? Escaped? He's been gone ages after all."

Adam scoffed at her and answered in a monotone voice, trying so desperately to cover up how he was feeling.

"He's being tortured Ros, It's what they do. They play with your head, your heart – and your body. That's if they haven't killed him."

"Don't say that Adam."

"It's the truth and you know it. For all we know Zaf could be dead and they're just waiting to pick off the next one!"

"_I said don't say that." _

She knew in her heart that Zaf was in hell, but what was the harm in pretending otherwise? Tears began to accumulate in her eyes until one by one they escaped, flowing down her cheeks towards the floor. Adam shook his head and tried to speak but no words came out. It was kinder to stay silent.

* * *

Blinded, gagged, cuffed and being led to hell.

"Enjoying yourself, _Zaf_?

A deadly whisper against his ear. Disgusting.

It had gone wrong. The operation had gone wrong. It was all wrong; and now he had to pay with agony.

And yet for a man that was about to subject torture he was surprisingly relaxed. Maybe it was because he'd been though all of this before and had reverted to his way of shutting down, or maybe it was that single thought he had running though his head.

**Jo. **

* * *

It was a strange feeling knowing that the man sat in front of him had once been a supposed friend. But as Bob Hogan sat at the desk just a few metres away, Harry couldn't feel anything but contempt for the man that potentially cost him three colleagues – three friends.

"You know why I'm here Bob."

Hogan smiled, smug in the knowledge Harry was in so much pain.

"No, no I don't. Please fill me in."

A silent stare.

"You know why I'm here."

Slowly, Hogan nodded.

"I sure do. And I bet you're wondering why all of this is happening."

"Amongst other things."

The two men sat staring at each other, calm but cold, the atmosphere around them freezing with contempt. Harry didn't have time for his games. He knew all too well the consequences of Hogan's fun.

He spoke again very calmly, but with the clear hint of danger present in his voice. Bob stopped smiling when he heard what he'd had to say.

"I don't care for whatever game you're playing Bob, so I'm going to put this as bluntly as I can. You tell me where the hell my officers are or I'll use whatever means necessary to gain that information from you, _even _if it means I'm forced to leave the services."

"You wouldn't dare."

The air grew even colder.

"Wouldn't I?"

Bob looked uneasy.

"Let me give you a taste of what's to come then."

Harry nodded at the guard standing by the only exit in the room in which they were sat and he stepped outside, allowing a petite blonde woman to enter and bolt the door behind her. She nodded to Harry and he replied, before allowing his eyes to dart towards Hogan's face once again.

"You remember Jo don't you?"

He sneered in response and Jo stormed towards the table standing millimetres behind his chair. It was Harry's turn to smile.

"I'll remind you then. About six months ago you sold Joanna to a group of your trusted friends, the same group that had shot and taken hostage one of _my_ most trusted officers. Surprisingly, Jo still hasn't quite forgiven you yet."

"You can't do anything to me in here."

Harry raised his eyebrows slightly at this comment, being taken by surprise at how naïve the man in front of him was being.

"Bob… Of course we can. I believe it's completely soundproof – correct Jo? - "

"Yes."

"- and in case you hadn't noticed it's only Jo, you and me in here."

Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead and Harry nodded, knowing he'd cracked him. After all, Mr Hogan had never been the bravest man he'd had the misfortune to meet.

"Talk."

* * *

Exhaustion had set in, but neither Adam nor Ros could sleep. Not with the knowledge of what he was going through. The exact time Zaf had been gone neither were certain of, but darkness had set in since he'd been removed from their cell.

He knew it was selfish but Adam couldn't help but be relieved that the walls seemed to be holding out any noise from Zaf's _interrogation_. That assuming Zaf was being _interrogated_. Although he'd only said it earlier to get his point across to Ros he couldn't help but worry that he'd never see his friend again.

He raised his hands to his head and ran them through his hair, although with difficulty due to handcuffs getting in the way.

Damned cuffs…

Ros looked at him and smiled gently at his awkwardness and he responded, glad that he finally had something else to focus on.

"It's always me isn't it."

"What is?"

"Being stuck in hand cuffs."

She shook her head and looked at the floor.

"It's because you're a threat."

"Yeah but so is Z-"

**It hurt to say his name. **

Then out of nowhere the door began to creak as locks and bolts began to turn and be loosened. Adam jumped away from the exit and placed himself next to Ros, who was determinedly still sitting on the pile of glass stocked up there all those hours ago. They waited, until finally the door opened.

No sign of anything except for the lifeless body that was thrown inside.

"Oh God!Zaf!"


	6. Escape

**

* * *

**

Why hello! sorry it's been so long again, but i've been busy lazing about - I'm trying to get organised promise ;) Any way, hope you like and a big big thanks for petite etoile22 for once again taking to time to sift through my mad ravings. Also thankyou to everyone who has reviewed as well! i really appriciate them :D

* * *

"Zaf? Zaf!"

Finally he groaned, one eye fluttering open to see Ros and Adam looming over him.

"Argg…"

Adam gave a short sharp sigh of relief, feeling his cheeks tighten into a smile for a precious few seconds.

"Jesus… What the hell happened?"

Zaf didn't answer, instead he attempted to prop himself up against the wall, failing miserably. Adam exchanged a glance with Ros before giving his help as she looked on, her face contorted with fear.

"There you go…"

"Cheers."

Adam nodded and turned away, listening to the desperate gasps from the corner as his friend curled up in pain. Ros hadn't moved, stuck as a statue and blocking out everything. Adam on the other hand, was racing, fuelled by anger and his own fear of never seeing his son again. It was his turn to say no.

**NO**

"Ros, we've got to go now!"

She turned but appeared vacant. Had she heard what he'd just said?

"What?"

"Ros come on!"

She stared into the corner of the room where their secret stash of glass was being held and felt herself shaking violently. She was empty, her mind racing, her body failing. She couldn't do it. She was going to die. They all were.

It was a shock when Adam hugged her. When he whispered gently in her ear. When he took her so tightly in his arms she thought she'd stopped breathing.

He was her oxygen.

And she surprised herself when her cheeks became damp with flowing tears. Finally, she allowed the violent spasms of her sobs to engulf her body. She and Adam just stood there, clinging to each other in the room from hell.

* * *

"I'm going to kill him!"

"Jo, calm down and focus or you'll be no good to me!"

She stared into Harry's eyes and knew instantly he meant what he was saying. She lowered her shoulders and took a deep breath, ignoring the masses of police officers that had appeared to escort Mr Hogan out of the building.

It was little comfort, knowing full well that he'd get away with ruining her life for the second time that year. She wanted to hurt him, like he'd hurt her and Zaf. She _really _wanted to hurt him.

"What do we do then? Go back to grid?"

"No, no time. Call Ruth and tell her to send Ben out."

"Harry, he only gave us a road name! For all we know it could be a blatant lie, or an estate and by the time we find the damned place it could be too late. It would waste time having Ben run from house to house – time we don't have!"

Harry widened his eyes slightly, for he knew just as well as she and everyone else did that there was no way they could search every single house if it were an estate in time. But then again, like her and everyone else he knew it was their only scrap of information, and no way was he going to let that slide.

He just had to pray it would go their way for once.

* * *

"Adam I don't know about this…"

"It's now or never Ros."

"What about Zaf? How are we supposed to get him out, because I'm sure as hell not leaving him behind. Not this time around."

Simultaneously they turned to face him, noting silently that in the hour or so he'd been back with them he'd only remained conscious for about 10 minutes. God knows what happened to him in there but there was no way he would recover in time to make his own way out, and neither Adam or Ros wanted to risk being captive for another day.

"I'll carry him."

"What about them? We don't know how many there are, we don't even know if there's guards outside, not really, _and if this goes wrong we are deeply in the shit!" _

She was shocked to see Adam reply with a smile.

"What are you grinning at?"

"You. Who came up with the idea in the first place?"

"Well, I did but-"

"Exactly. Look Ros…"

He looked her directly in the eyes and gripped the sides of her arms, forcing her to look at him, both sets of eyes burning into each other.

"We've got to do this now. Wait until tomorrow and we'll all be dead."

"But Zaf…"

"I'll carry him if I have to, but this has got to be the night. So… You in?"

* * *

"What do you mean? I can't head up a team all by myself Ruth, I'm not even trusted to use the photocopier for God Sakes!"

She shook her head and looked at him, his face full of confusion. He was scared and she knew that. After all, this was a life or death situation Harry was putting him in.

_A test of character, being thrown in at _the_ deep end. That's what he always says… _

"Ben he trusts you, so don't waste anymore time complaining and get in there!"

"I can't do this Ruth…"

"You're going to have to. The pool cars have been set for you and the others. Go!"

He turned away from her and inhaled deeply, desperately trying to clear his mind. He was on his own.

**Life or death. Adam, Ros, Zaf. Dead or alive. Save them or lose them. **

He wasn't ready. Even though he had to be, he wasn't ready but his feet were already pounding against the floor towards the pod doors, heading towards the exit.

It was his one and only chance.

* * *

"Ready?"

She nodded, producing one of the shards of glass and rolling it down her arm, causing blood to spurt all over her clothing.

"Ros that's enough! You're not actually trying to kill yourself!"

"Do you want it to be realistic?"

That shut him up.

And that made her continue, doing exactly the same on the other arm, narrowly avoiding those ever so precious arteries. She didn't wince once, but she felt like screaming in pain.

"Zaf? Zaf you awake?"

"Mmm."

Adam was the first one to ask.

"Can you get up mate?"

"My leg… I think it's broken…"

Adam nodded before slamming his hand to the wall in frustration. He hadn't thought this through, none of it. Ros was right, they should have waited.

**They should have waited. **

"Adam snap out of it!"

And he did, her voice providing the force to knock down all of his fears and worries. The plan had started.

"Guard! GUARD! GUARD IT'S ROS!. PLEASE HELP!"

Silence… The wrong answer. Maybe there was no guard, maybe it really was just those two but even still, why was no one coming?

"Ros it's not working-"

Interrupted by a sound, the bolts clicking open, the door moving.

A man he didn't recognise.

"Shut up, you're not doing yourself any favours by shouting like that."

Time to act.

"Please help her, I think she's topped herself, please some bandages or water or something, please!"

It worked. He entered the room, and on seeing the blood and Ros laid out on the floor 'unconscious', he made the vital mistake of turning his back on Adam as he left the room for medical supplies. It was then that Adam seized his chance. Kneeing the guard in the small of the back Adam heard a loud groan as the guard fell crumpled on the floor.

"ROS GET UP!"

Suddenly Ros was alive again, becoming animated and running over the guard, patting his jacket and trousers, searching for keys of some sort.

"Ah, bingo!"

Her success had thrown her slightly and she was paralysed. They were going to get out. They were going to be safe.

"Get these cuffs off me then!

Adam's voice. She turned towards him and saw a struggle between guard and prisoner, Adam losing the battle of keeping the seven-foot 'man' to the ground – made even more difficult by the fact Adam was cuffed.

"I've got a better idea!"

"WELL DO IT THEN!"

So she did. Never had she felt quite so much pleasure in knocking out someone before, but as she brought that stool down onto that guard's head she actually felt herself smile, and if it hadn't been for the situation they'd got themselves into, she would have found the looks on Zaf and Adam's faces hysterical.

The blonde man visibly relaxed.

"Cheers…"

She nodded in response and found herself searching their visitors pockets again – finding exactly what she wanted.

"A gun!"

* * *

"Adam, have you got him?"

"Ros I'm not an invalid…"

"No Zaf, you've just been left crippled which makes you as good as in my books."

"Shut up you two."

Adam, the voice of reason had spoken and immediately they fell silent. Only their rapid draws of breath and gentle thudding of footsteps on the ground could be heard as they trekked through the empty grey hallways. Time was against them once again, but unable to run due to a severely injured Zaf they just had to hope that an exit would appear soon.

Before the others came for them.

Then a sound, a foreign sound .

**Them.**

"Shit!"

Only Zaf voiced what they were all thinking.

"Where's it coming from?"

"From behind us… I think."

"Keep moving."

Then a voice. A loud voice, growing closer. It was speaking in French. It was angry.

**It knew they'd gone.**

Ros turned to Adam and her lip trembled.

It was as if he'd read her mind.

"Just keep moving Ros, we're nearly there."

"Leave me…"

"What?"

They turned to Zaf.

"No."

"Look, you know I'm holding you back, because if it wasn't for me you'd be out by now, so just…leave me."

Adam responded.

"_No!_"

"Adam, listen to me!"

"No you listen to me! Either we all get out, or none of us do, because I'm not going to lose another friend, especially not one that I've only just got back again. I've left you once before Zaf, and like it or not, I'm not going to do it again."

Zaf stared down at the floor, accepting his defeat. The taller man then nodded, picking up the pace to draw level with the blonde woman in front of them.

"Ros?"

She'd stopped.

"Ros, what is it?"

Turning around to face Adam and Zaf , she grinned before speaking.

"I think I've just found our ticket out of here boys."

**More soon ;)**


	7. Ben

No happy endings, chapter 7

**Hello! Sorry it's been sooooooooooooooooooo long, but I've been a tad on the busy side lately! Still, hope you like… again ;) also huge thanks to petite etiole22 for the beta and for staying patient with me and my rubbish chapter updating :P**.

No matter how he tried, Ben couldn't control the rising sense of nausea building up inside of him. Never had he been so nervous. Never had there been a reason to be so nervous.

"Ben, do you read me?"

He grabbed the radio in front of him as soon as it crackled, desperately trying and failing to keep his voice calm and level.

"Harry it's Ben here, I read you."

"Good, now listen. I'm on my way to Potters street as we speak with backup close behind. Don't move unless you see something – and that's an order Ben. I absolutely refuse to lose more officers today."

He couldn't help himself, unable to keep his emotions in check. A sudden burst of anger broke though.

"Then what the hell am I doing here Harry? You send me here alone heading up a team of police officers and then give us nothing to do for the hour we've been here! Why bother in the first place if you planned to come along with backup all along?"

Silence on the other end of the radio.

Suddenly Ben felt timid, as if he were being told to speak to the headmaster.

"Harry?"

"Are you quite finished?"

He nodded instinctively before it dawned on him that Harry was unable to see his response.

"Yep…"

"Good. Now I'm willing to let that little outburst slide because of the increasingly stressful situation we find ourselves in, but take heed to listen very carefully. The reason I haven't had you asking door to door "are you by any chance holding captive three MI5 officers" is because they would probably think you're either mad or very dangerous, and that is not a position you want to find yourself in."

There was a pause. Probably a small pause in reality but for Ben it seemed like minutes, hours even as he waited desperately for Harry to talk again.

Finally he did.

"We've got an address Ben. Stay stationary until we arrive…We'll go in together."

* * *

"Ros, get the damn key in the hole!"

"_Adam that's not helping!" _

If it had been another place in another time, he probably would have made some smart arse remark to piss Ros off, earning him a strong whack on the head. For now though, Zaf said nothing, choosing silence as the best option. If he were being honest the idea of opening his mouth at all made him want to be sick. The pain from his leg was approaching unbearable.

The door clicked and Ros gave a short sigh of relief as she flung it open, watching Adam move with a crippled Zaf through the frame, and closing the door behind them once they were all through.

"Thank God for that!"

"For what?"

"The great outdoors!"

They'd made it. They'd actually made it!

"A court yard?" Adam snapped.

**Reality**. They were still trapped.

"Shit…"

"What?"

Panicked, Adam and Ros turned to Zaf, who was staring wildly out of his ever-growing black eyes at the stone wall they'd just emerged from. He wasn't staring at the door though. He was staring at the window.

The small broken window with cast iron bars preventing any sort of escape from a life inside those stone walls.

"Zaf?"

"That's our room…"

"What?"

It was Adam that had spoken, although Ros had exactly the same question running through her head. Their room? So what? What did it matter, they were out of there, gone, end of. It was over… Wasn't it?

Ros spoke now.

"So what? We're just wasting time standing around here."

Zaf whipped his head around to face her, his hand reaching out to grab hold of Adam's shoulder. He was struggling to keep upright on only one leg, the pain evidently eating away at him. Ros felt a shiver flow through her when she saw his expression.

His answer was barely audible against the gusts of wind but she heard him clearly enough. And by God she wished she hadn't.

"_There's someone in there!" _

* * *

"Jo, this is our stop!"

Jo crushed her foot to the brake, letting the car squeal to a halt. As she did that she couldn't help but smile, thinking of the grief Zaf would be giving her as she wrecked his car. She really couldn't afford not to hear him moaning about her driving any more. She needed him.

"Right here?"

She turned towards her boss and saw him doubled over, his face ever so slightly tinged with green. She knew she'd pay for that later. Harry rose slightly and nodded, signalling for Jo to get out. She did as he wished her to, throwing open the metal door with as much force as she could manage and climbing out in one fluid motion.

"Huh, that's weird…"

Harry's head snapped up immediately.

"What's weird?"

Her forehead crumpled in confusion and she pouted slightly, considering possible options.

"Jo? What's weird?"

His voice was stronger now. An order. She responded.

"There's no Ben. No police. Nothing." She stooped to look into the car. " You're sure this is the street? Because we don't have any time to waste Harry."

He too sprung out of the car and saw for himself that the street was empty of cars.

"Shit!"

He whipped his head around and found the street sign. _Potters street. _They were definitely in the right place. The panic began to build in his chest.

_Buzz buzz buzz buzz._

"Phone Harry."

He shook his head and wiped a weary hand across his brow, answering his phone and feeling his composure slip.

"What?!"

Jo stared at her boss and suddenly felt her worry double. This wasn't good. Harry didn't get like this unless there was a reason.

"Right… Where are you now? Mmmm… Well you better pray this is the right address Black!"

Harry snapped his phone shut and threw it into his open pool car. Jo just stared at him, frightened beyond belief, waiting for him to speak again.

"That was Black from the armed division… They're stationed behind that block of buildings there." Harry muttered, waving his left hand carelessly behind him. By the tone of his voice Jo could tell that wasn't the complete story.

She stared at him until he dared to meet her eye, and when he spoke she felt a familiar chill run down her spine.

"Ben's missing, Jo. They found his phone sim card lying in the road a few minutes ago."

* * *

How could this be happening? She wanted to scream, hit something, _some one_. Ironic really. Just as they escape another gets put away.

Adam was just as astounded, his mouth flapping and tongue babbling with all the possible solutions. And Zaf? He was quiet. The pain was too strong for him to think straight now. Instead of arguing about what to do he'd taken up the position of the door barricade, sitting slumped against the metal exit. He only hoped they wouldn't come for them just yet. He was too tired to put up much resistance.

As he drifted away the voices beside him grew fainter, and he began to relax, the pain becoming number as his urge to sleep grew stronger. It was only when he heard Adam shout into the broken window that he was jolted back to reality.

"What the hell happened Ben?"


	8. Bang

**No Happy endings**

"Zaf grab it!"

"I am!"

"No really grab it!"

"I AM!"

Adam shook his head in exasperation at Ros as once again he saw Zaf's fingers weaken under the strain. This was useless. The only way they'd get him over would be by throwing him over it – and not even with both of them there could they do that.

"It's no use guys, I can't do it" Zaf groaned, letting go of the single vine that had coiled it's way over the stone barricade. As he released it from his grasp he slumped against the wall and moaned quietly as his broken mess of a leg endured his weight momentarily. Ros bit her lip and looked at Adam. She didn't know what she was staring at him for but somehow she felt safer staring at the dark blonde mess of hair beside her. Was it for help? For comfort? She didn't know. But she did know that keeping on trying to get Zaf over the wall was a waste of time.

"Adam… He's right."

He shook his head slightly and answered.

"No. He's not."

"Adam it's-"

"No. Out of all of us he's the one that needs to get over the most. We're going to keep on trying."

"I am here, you know."

Adam and Ros turned their heads as quickly as their necks would allow them to and stared down at their colleague. Neither could deny that he wasn't looking good. In fact, he looked as if he was in complete agony.

Adam spoke first.

"We know mate. We'll have you over in a sec okay, we just need to figure out how-"

"Adam… just leave me here will you?"

**What? **

His mouth opened but no words came out. He just couldn't think of anything. He just stared into the chocolate brown eyes looking up at him hoping they would betray their owner's intentions. Zaf too, stared into the eyes opposite him, with a gradual feeling of annoyance creeping through him. How at a time like this could Adam be so thick? It's not like he enjoyed being the martyr, and no matter how he tried to distract himself he could think of nothing else apart from running into Jo's arms and burying his head in her neck, inhaling her perfume and feeling her cool breath against his neck. But this wasn't about him. It was about all of them.

The silence grew too much for him to tolerate so he broke it.

"Look mate, think about it. I'm useless at the moment right? My leg's about as good as Harry's coffee, I can't move by myself let alone climb over that bloody thing. And you know as well as I do that you need runners to get help as quickly as possible and to get to the others. I can't run."

"Zaf I-"

"- Shut up Adam. I'm not going to lie, I don't want to be left here in the hands of psychopaths but some one has to stay with Ben, and you need at least two people to run off and get help. So deal with it, because I am."

Adam turned to Ros and she nodded. No words were needed.

******************************************************************************

"It's been a while hasn't it?"

"'Bout 5 minutes…"

"Shit!"

Zaf's eyes sprung open and swivelled around to the bars he'd grown so accustomed to.

"What?"

"I think I heard something…"

Suddenly any fogginess of the mind he was suffering vanished and for a second the agony disappeared.

But only for a second.

"Arrggggh SHIT!"

Ben was startled by the sudden outburst and felt his heart thud so heavily against his chest he thought it would burst. Until now his colleague on the other side of the bars had seemed so calm, cool even.

It was his turn to ask.

"What? What is it?" The words came out so quickly they were practically a blur, leaving his tongue well and truly tied.

"It's… It's my leg. Those gits snapped it." Zaf looked up apologetically and tried a feeble grin. It was more of a grimace.

Ben glanced down and for the first time noticed the odd shape of Zaf's limb. Strange really he hadn't picked up on the fact it was pointing at a right angle, but he allowed himself off with a caution for being so oblivious. He was, after all, recovering from being knocked heavily unconscious.

Both men sat in silence for a few minutes, strangely comfortable in each other's company. It was the longest amount of time they'd spent together outside of office meetings, but both were at ease knowing the other was there.

"You know, you're alright actually."

"Huh?" Zaf murmured, slightly taken aback by the new conversation.

"You're alright. I used to think you were a bit, well, smug."

As Zaf smiled a stab of pain hit him and his grin became crooked.

"Smug?"

"Yeah. A bit of an arse really."

Zaf released a small chuckle.

"Geez Ben… You really know how to cheer a guy up."

It was his turn to smile now.

"Well, you never talked to me and I figured it's because you thought of yourself above my station. I still remember the first day you came back to the grid, it's so clear. I knew who you were straight away of course coz Harry and Adam kept on going on about how much of a miracle it was you were found alive after all this time. And Jo was buzzing. She actually looked happy for once being at work, and I sat there thinking… wow. This Zafar Younis they keep on going on about, he's the type of spook I want to be, you know? The type of spook that gets tortured near enough to death, and then returns to the job that practically killed him and still love it. I thought – no I _think_ you're amazing. So I was kinda gutted when you didn't run up to me and take me under your wing. I wanted to see the loud cocky guy you were with everyone else, I wanted to be your mate. Like you and Adam I guess."

Zaf stared at him for a few seconds, then looked away, a faint flush of embarrassment rising on his cheeks. He could think of nothing to say in response and after a few seconds Ben saved him the torture of finding the right words by changing topic completely.

"Where are they?"

Zaf looked up again and cocked his head to one side, deliberating his response.

"Probably coming for us as we speak."

Ben just bit down harder on his already swollen lip. He didn't know which 'they' he was talking about. And he didn't really want to know.

"BLACK! GET OVER HERE!"

In an instant a squat balding man appeared in front of Harry and Jo, flanked by numerous helmets and shields. Harry was slightly taken aback at the promptness of his arrival but showed no surprise, instead choosing to purse his lips. Jo was stood next to him fidgeting like a child who'd had too much sugar, tapping her foot in a vain attempt to speed up this meeting.

"You ready?" Harry asked, noting that the amount of armed officers flocking around their unlikely leader was steadily increasing. Black nodded and turned around to face his troops before signalling them towards the end of the road, leading the orderly march towards 22 Potters Street.

Harry watched them parade past him with an ever growing sense of nausea in the pit of his stomach. He turned to face Jo and found her staring intently across the road at the single fence that led on to the stone wall surrounding the houses.

"Jo?"

She turned to look at him and he was shocked to see her eyes glistening with fresh tears.

"Jo? What is it?"

**Could it really be true?**

"I… Harry I think I just heard Adam…"

"Ros? You okay?"

She looked up at him and nodded, picking herself up from the floor as quickly as she could muster. That wall was larger than she's given it credit. Still, never mind that her bones ached and her head thumped, she had others to think of. Adam turned back forwards, noting silently what a mess the walk way was. Clearly it was rarely used by any one other than bored teenagers, judging by the masses of discarded drinks bottles and the nettles creeping their way over the concrete.

"Jesus what a shit heap" Ros mumbled as she delicately picked her way over the broken glass and groupings of nettles.

"Just don't touch any thing. I wouldn't put it past these bastards to monitor this part as well."

She murmured in agreement and they continued to walk in single file with Adam leading the procession until finally the wall ended and a battered and heavily graffitied fence appeared.

"Bingo" Adam mumbled, grabbing hold of the wooden fence and pulling back on it.

"Will it hold?"

"Just. Give me a leg up will you?"

She trekked over to his side and grabbed hold of the leg he'd left extended out for her.

"On three okay?"

"On three."

"One… Two… THREE!"

Thump

"ADAM! ADAM!"

He blinked and whipped his head around towards the source shrieking his name.

"Jo? Harry?"

"OH MY GOD ADAM!" Jo screamed, immediately abandoning her post and running towards him with arms extended, hair rippling in the wind. Harry was caught dumbstruck, his heart pounding and his stomach turned upside down.

No… not possible

But it was possible. And within seconds a petite blonde woman joined him, landing awkwardly on their side of the fence.

"ROS!"

"Dya reckon they made it?"

"Yeah… yeah."

Words were little comfort. He just wanted out of that room, just to feel the wind against his cheeks, the moonlight to flood his face and the sound of -

**Clicking. The locks were clicking. **

"Shit! Zaf they're here. _They're here_"

His eyes were wild with fear and his head was numb. He couldn't be taken, he couldn't be subjected to hell. He turned to Zaf for help but found an empty space.

No sign of him.

He was gone.

"Adam, Ros are you hurt?"

They shook their heads simultaneously and Harry suddenly felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders.

He'd got two. Now he'd have to save two more.

"Ben and Zaf… They're still in there though." Ros murmured, shaking off the foil blanket she'd been packaged in much to the nurse's annoyance.

"Hurt?"

"Zaf is. And Ben could be for all we kno-"

BANG

All four spooks turned instinctively towards the noise, mouths ajar and hearts racing.

Was that what they thought it was?

"Was that a-"

**BANG**

Harry tensed, nausea flooding him and adrenaline blurring his vision.

BANG

"SHIT!"

"We've got to get them out. Get them out Harry! GET THEM OUT!"

Pain. Such pain. A fresh hell, a new torture. Every step bringing a fresh agony. Clinging to walls for help. Help. I need help. To walk to drag to crawl, every movement impossibly difficult. Not far now. The gun? Do I have the gun she gave me? Grab the gun, hold the gun, work the gun. Bullets, does it have bullets? Oh a sickness. An urge to vomit stronger than before and a –

_Release. Stomach empty, painfully so. Keep on going, must keep on… a door? A door! Bolts every where, which one? Which one! Wait… It's already open. Noises from inside, a screaming. My scream? No… throw myself against it, door springing open. Two men. One friend one foe. Take no chances. Kill the bastard._

BANG

Blood splattered across the wall and a body slumped onto the floor with a sickening _**thud**_. He blinked in astonishment. Had he just done that. Had he just pulled the trigger without a seconds thought? He couldn't remove his eyes from the sight he had caused, repulsed and curious at the same time.

"Ben?"

His voice was small, rough with exhaustion.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm here."

The cell was so dark inside compared to the overly bright corridors. Zaf motioned for Ben to come towards him and he did so, grabbing onto his arm as soon as he could reach.

"Jesus Zaf! How did you – "

And then he realised. They weren't alone in the room. A silhouette of a nightmare against the wall and a -

"ZAF DUCK!"

BANG

"NO… NO!"

BANG

ARMED POLICE! FREEZE!

The strangely innocent door to the house of hell came crashing down and feet pounded against the threadbare carpet towards the back of the house.

Jo ran as fast as her legs would allow her to, ignoring the yells and the screams to come back.

_No sod them. Sod every thing_.

And then the running stopped, the pounding feet falling still. Her breath was shallow, her heart racing her eyes clouded over. She couldn't see, blind. Slow motion, every thing slow motion. Paramedics racing in, bullets rushing past her, hitting something. Someone. Someone with glasses.

She didn't care. She only cared about what she saw in front of her.

"Zaf? Ben…"

Two men, two colleagues, one cradled by the other like she had been with Adam all those many months ago.

And blood.

Blood was everywhere.


End file.
